Wireless networks include wireless links that can be susceptible to interference. Wireless mesh networks typically include many wireless links, and therefore, can be particularly susceptible to interference. One form of interference is self interference, in which a wireless link within the wireless mesh network receives interfering signals from other wireless links of the wireless mesh network. As packets are relayed through the wireless mesh network, they can suffer from the effects of self-interference, or they may cause interference for other links within the wireless mesh network.
The self-interference can limit the air-time availability to nodes of a wireless network. That is, the self-interfering signals of a node within a wireless network occupy transmission air-time, thereby limiting the transmission air-time available to other nodes of the wireless network. Nodes that have poor quality wireless links can be particularly problematic because they typically require low-order modulation formats, and packet re-transmissions. Lower order modulation formats and re-transmissions both cause the air-time per bit efficiency to drop, resulting in the occupation of more air-time.
A proposed method of limiting interference in a wireless network is to place a fixed cap on the data throughput of all client devices connected to the wireless network. This is an undesirable method because placing fixed caps on the data throughput of all client devices limits the throughput of a client device even if the client device is not causing excess interference within the wireless network.
It is desirable to control self-interference within a wireless network. It is additionally desirable that the self-interference control not overly burden or restrain a device of the wireless network when the device is not substantially contributing to self-interference within the wireless network.